The Israel Defense Forces destroyed a sprawling Hezbollah underground network under the Ali al-Taher Ridge in southeastern Lebanon, completing the consolidation of the security zone along Israel’s northern border, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Thursday.
The strategic terrorist infrastructure, built over two decades with Iranian funding and planning, was intended to serve as a staging base for Hezbollah’s planned conquest of the Galilee, according to the joint statement.
The command center on the ridge provided Hezbollah with observation and fire control over the northern Israeli communities of Metula and Kiryat Shmona.
“Their destruction completes the achievement of operational control over the Ali al-Taher Ridge, above and below ground,” Netanyahu and Katz said.
According to an Israeli military official, the underground network consisted of eight routes with a combined length of more than 5,400 meters (17,700 feet).
IDF troops found dozens of explosive drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles, machine guns and anti-tank missiles inside the tunnels, along with hundreds of mines, RPG rockets, explosive devices and other military equipment.
In recent months, Israeli forces stepped up pressure on Hezbollah terrorists operating from the underground infrastructure, initially establishing operational control over the ridge above ground.
The operation included ambushes and attacks on tunnel shafts using grenades, drones and other weapons. Troops subsequently established control of the underground network in what the military official described as a lengthy, localized operation within the security zone.
Some Hezbollah terrorists operating on the ridge fled, while others were killed. Terrorists detected attempting to leave the area or deliver supplies to the underground network were targeted in airstrikes and artillery fire.
During one encounter, Israeli troops killed a terrorist at close range as he attempted to escape from one of the underground routes, according to the military official.
The operation dismantled strategic Hezbollah infrastructure that served as a central command-and-control center for the terrorist organization’s Badr Unit, while giving Israeli forces operational control of the Ali al-Taher Ridge.
The elevated terrain overlooks the Nabatieh area, a major center of Lebanon’s Shi’ite population.
The IDF said it had dismantled most of the underground routes throughout the ridge, making them unusable for Hezbollah terrorists seeking to entrench themselves underground or plan attacks.
The operation followed the destruction of Hezbollah’s main underground routes in the Beaufort Ridge (about 2.8 miles southeast of Ali al-Taher Ridge) and the surrounding villages of Arnoun, Yohmor and Kfar Tebnit.
“IDF forces are deploying for defense in the area and to prevent enemy forces from returning to the territory,” Netanyahu and Katz said.
“The IDF will remain in the security zone and will continue destroying terror infrastructure and thwarting any attempt by the Hezbollah terrorist organization to re-establish itself and restore its capabilities,” they added.
“The State of Israel will continue to defend the northern communities from within Lebanon, and any attempt to harm our citizens and our forces will be met with force.”
The IDF said it remains prepared for a range of scenarios, including a possible multi-front conflict, while continuing operations in the Southern Lebanon security zone to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities.
